Boating on the Suwannee River has been restricted in Zone 4 — from County Road 340 bridge at Rock Bluff to one mile below the Fowlers Bluff boat ramp.

Suwannee River Water Management District

This map shows the five zones ont he Suwannee River. All are now idle speed, no wake for boaters.

The action was taken on Sunday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after floodwaters at Wilcox rose above 9 feet. The 51-mile segment will be an idle-speed, no-wake zone as long as the Suwannee is at 9 feet on the Wilcox gauge, where flood stage is 11 feet.

All five idle-speed, no-wake zones along the Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers are now activated.

FWC officers are patrolling swollen rivers to ensure boaters comply with the idle-speed, no-wake rule, said Capt. Marty Redmond, area supervisor at the FWC’s Lake City office. The FWC encourages boaters to stay off the Suwannee-Santa Fe river system until conditions improve.

An idle-speed, no-wake zone means a vessel must proceed at a speed no greater than what is required to maintain steerageway and headway. At no time is any vessel required to proceed so slowly that the operator is unable to control it or anything it may be towing.